`Greatest Celebration of Art & Culture in the World,' Durga Puja at Kolkata

Kolkata ( earlier Calcutta ) is considered the `greatest celebration of art and culture in the world'said Dominick A Merie , Co-founder , International Food, Wine & Travel Writers' Association. Merie is struck by the peace and tranquility that prevails over the period of ten days starting from Mahalaya which ends on Dashami ( Dusserah). `People ' in Kolkata, `appear to get into a blissful state, irrespective of caste, creed, wealth and social status.'

Credit of the comment goes to Jaideep Mukherjee who show cased Durga Puja at a presentation in Quebec ( Canada). He pursued Merie to visit Kolkata during Durga Puja. Merie agreed and he became an ambassodar for the event. Durga Puja celebration at Kolkata is not known to the world. Accompanied by 10 writers and journalists from US and Europe, Merie and gave away prizes under three categories based on budget : (i) Pujas with budget below Rs 20 lac; (ii) Pujas with budget between Rs 20 lac and 40 lac; and (iii) above 40 lac. In the first category, Tangra Gholpara was chosen as the best puja. In the next category, Barisha Club was chosen as the best and in the third category, Buroshibtala Sarbojanin was chosen to be the best. Winners in each category received $ 250. Merie said, ` the world must see Durga Puja in Kolkata to change their opinion of the city."

Mahalaya is the introduction to the puja. The people are transformed thereafter. behaviour pattern of the city. Everyone becomes calm, happy, patient and energetic.

Merie compares the celebration with the festival celebration at Rio-de-generio at Brazil, Mardi Glas in the US and Oktoberfest in Germany. It is placed above them. Merie says that he had seen people queuing up for hours to see a pandal without any disturbance or quarrel.

As a person living in Kolkata, I bow before the words of Dominick A Merie who expressed his inner feeling about the city to the world at large. Kolkata was tagged with poverty, dirt since the sixties. It is not among the destinations of foreign tourists. People of India look down on it. Calcutta ( Kolkata) was the capital of British India till the early twentieth century. It was the business capital of the country. It lost the crown in the early seventies. Every one considered it as a dying city. In the midst of such negative aspects, Durga Puja amongst others, has given the city a new dimension difficult to beat. Durga Puja of Kolkata leaves every one dump found. The Hindi movie. `Kahani' made the country know of the Durga Puja and its celebration. Every one is of the view that the celebration of Durga Puja is not properly show cased. Even people from the city leave the city during the clebration but those who come to participate in the Durga Puja celebration are simply left dumb. Example, comment of Dominick A Merie. The spirit of the Durga Puja has reached such a height that all festival celebrations are humbled. What the city needs acknowledgment. It has done India proud in the eyes of the foreigners who come in numbers to experience the offerings of the people of the city. They cannot forget the, `Kichudi' served in pandals on Mahashtami during lunch and the dhunuchi dance in the evening before the image of Ma Durga.